


Dec 3: Mirror, Mirror

by EmeryldLuk



Series: Children of Hades December Prompts [3]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: December prompts, Fifth Cohort, Fighting, Gen, Just Desserts, Magic, Random Sidecharacters, demigod - Freeform, hufflepuff or slytherin, teacher, training session gone wrong, warrior badassery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-12 17:39:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16877304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeryldLuk/pseuds/EmeryldLuk
Summary: A normal training session with the fifth cohort has gone awry and Lily is FED UP





	Dec 3: Mirror, Mirror

Sparks flew as blades clashed. A squad of five strove together around a single figure. The cold mud churned underfoot. Sweat dripped into desperate eyes that darted for an opening.

They saw it. A tired leg dropped for a breath. A sword plunged forward, striving for the space between armor pieces.

And it was gone. Shorn off by a swift and brutal uppercut that ripped the sword from the hand. The blade spun in the air, landing point down in the dirt.

"Halt!" The command went up even as an eager Centurion tried for an easy score. All six froze where they were. Centurion Julius strode up to the disarmed recruit. "You should have learned after that first ten times, Arthur."

"Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir."

"Stop saying sorry when you quit falling for her ploy. Take a breather, the lot of you."

The five in roman garb snapped off salutes and trotted up the hill where they had left their water bottles and the rest of the battalion. The sixth smirked and put away her weapon.

"You got something you want to say, Grecan?" Julius snapped.

Lily put her hands on her hips. "You and your typical Roman attitude. I bet if you actually joined in these little exercises, you'd falter as easily as your squad."

"I am not so weak as to need to test my mettle against the likes of you."

"Only the weak bloat their ego to mask their lack of skill. Come, spar with me and prove you are more than your word."

"You cheat," He spat. "I know of your ability to manipulate metal. As if any spar with you would be honest."

"Is it truly cheating to take advantage of what gifts I have? Very well, have it your way, but do go easier on Arthur. He is desperate for approval and you see none of his improvement."

He sneered, head held high. "Next group!" he called.

Lily frowned. "What gain do you get out of this?"

"The pleasure of seeing you defeated, of course. You can't fight forever."

She sized up the next group of five; three were of older legionnaires and two only recruited that year.

"Fine, but no weapons."

"What!" Julius voiced outrage, but the approaching squad five paused at the suggestion.

"You want a fair fight, Julius. No weapons, no armor. Surely you have enough skill for that. No need to pull the others into your grudge."

"Some other time. Now is for training."

Lily ground her teeth. She took one solid step forward and flung up her hand. The air shimmered around her off hand while her sword threw itself at Julius.

He barely knocked it aside in time. Julius jumped to the side, rolling to his feet and stumbled back as Lily's training weapon stabbed into the dirt where he stood.

"Mirror, Mirror, show me what I wish not to see," Lily intoned in Ancient Greek. White smoke billowed from her hand, filling field with a thick fog. She heard some of the legionnaires cheer from the top of the hill.

"What are you doing, Grecan?" Julius demanded. He hunched down as he lost sight of her in the smoke.

"Teaching you a lesson, long overdue." Lily paced around him at a good distance. "Tell me, who was it that made you so angry?"

"As if I'd tell you anything," He shot back, taking a swing at the air.

Shadows formed, swirling around him until one took shape and the smoke cleared in a circle. A boy stood there, a pen knife his only weapon in shaking hands. Julius froze and so did the boy.

"You see him, right?" Her voice seemed to come from everywhere. "Your nightmare."

When Julius took a step, the boy facing him took the same action as if he were looking into a mirror.

Lily waited a moment and looked up the hill. To them all of this would just look like a smoke screen.

"Make it stop!" Julius screeched.

Lily stepped out of the fog, breaking the mirror, and seizing him by the collar. Her sword shot back into her hand.

"Let me make something very clear, Horse face," She hissed. "I am not some Grecan you can push around. I do not need my bloody weapons to hurt you. By your age, I was well versed in magic as well as both armed and unarmed combat arts. I have honed those skills since Ancient times. Either drop the attitude or grow up and face me like a man."

His eyes grew to the size of washers. "Yes- yes of course. Whenever you please."

She let go and he dropped, legs giving out under him.

Turning away, she brushed a hand through the air, creating a long, blue scarf out of the mist. As she twirled the scarf overhead, the smoke slowly dissipated, clearing in a minute.

Julius breathed hard, his face pale. He flinched when she turned back to him.

"You will find your calm in a moment. When you do remember your dignity, do us both the favor of retaining enough honor to not refuse my challenge when I send it."

He nodded, already feeling the panic fade. He pushed up and brushed off his pants.

When she reached the top of the hill, one of the older legionnaires stepped forward.

"Was that an ability or a spell?" He asked.

"Spell," She answered. "It causes the target to see what they hate the most about themselves. You all can go now."

The one named Arthur breathed out in audible relief. "I thought that would never end."

Lily said, "Arthur, I know this is all new, but you can relax. Being tense in battle can get you killed."

"Was I that obvious?"

"Only to me. Also, I'm way more experienced than anyone else mortal, so don't let the loss get you down. That goes for all of you. As great it is to have teamwork, if you don't work with what makes you personally strong, you make yourself weaker."

"Is that how you Greeks lose?" one joked. A few others laughed.

"How long have we been at this?" Lily asked, patiently waiting for the laughter to die. A few traded looks. "The only reason I can fight as well as I do after an hour of combat is because of my abilities. I can make my weapon weightless. I can tell who is the most stressed. I can read the battlefield." She tapped the side of her head.

"That is how you win or lose. Not that your esteemed Captain understands that yet."


End file.
